As a case study for social psychologists, Nigeria will definitely prove to be a daunting, if not unsolvable task in scientific analysis. The identification of outward and inward trend is one task that would be easy to work out without tears and sorrow: fraudsters, scammers on the outward scale and criminals, hostage-takers and constitutionally uncultured neophytes on the inward scale. Seeking to understand the psychological motivation between specific social behavioral tendencies though is near impossible as cultural, traditional and ethnic backgrounds clearly interweave a web of social complications.

Ask an average Nigerian why the inward scale shows such a crime-ridden picture as years of independence progress and the answer will be simple: “Na condition make crayfish bend”. An ultimate reference to the curved form of shrimps when subjected to the burning heat of fire for the purpose of preservation. In other words, many Nigerians will readily attribute crime wave and the generally negative attitude of Nigerians towards social discipline, to the steady decline of affluence perpetuated by the ruling elite on an ascending scale since the political independence of the country. While a social psychologist that is armed with the analytical weapons of group dynamics, social class, status and prestige in addition to defense mechanism will seek a different approach to explain the reason for the near-normality of crime in Nigeria, even affluent Nigerians that may not be involved in the day-to-day life-threatening wave of crime predominantly prevalent in Southern Nigeria, would readily subscribe to the slogan-type excuses: “Na condition…”!

A social-psychological analyst would seek to compare the rate of poverty in several societies of the world and the amount of crime in the individual societies in order to ascribe any form of universality to the causal correlation between crime and the level of affluence. Upon discovering however, that poverty does not necessarily translate into crime in many other societies, every scientific analyst will be extremely reluctant (to say the least) in defining the correlation of crime and poverty as a social scientific law! There will therefore, be no scientific law of poverty as a universal causal factor of crime. In fact, the world is fraught with societies, in which poverty driven citizens resort to more inventiveness and constructive creativity for survival. The transition of countries like South Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia etc. from agricultural to industrial economies is a living contemporary example. Uncovering this fact will indeed, become the defining moment, in which any scientist would be uncovering its very first can of worms reflecting the complex picture of a country named Nigeria that indeed, never sees itself as one country per se.

Political communities the world over, are busy transforming social-political frameworks in the steady direction of creating a global village. The slogan is clear: United we stand, divided we fall! Nigerian communities however are doing their utmost to foster the individual spirit of falling apart. United we fall, divided we stand. One gets the notion these days, that the post-military days of civility in Nigeria is slowly serving to rekindle and rejuvenate the spirit of separatism a la Biafra. As if the bitter bloodshed of the seventies was not enough, a pattern has been developed in today’s Nigeria, in which every region with some prowess of sort hastily and happily embrace the notion of being better off to stand divided from mainstream Nigeria. The longer Nigeria as a whole stands united, the more threat it faces, of falling apart.

As the most illustrious ethnic group in Nigeria, the Ibos have a natural prowess (like it or not) of standing on their feet with or without natural resources. In commerce, in industrial creativity (see Ibo-made products), in short in intelligent dealings of all sorts (positive or negative), I am yet to see any other ethnic group in Nigeria that is fit enough to hold a candle to the Ibos. That among others was indeed reason enough for the overblown self-confidence that triggered off the tragedy of years gone by. Even this was briefly resurrected in recent times and is even being bred today, behind the scenes in discrete and quiet agitations in grass-root politics. The truth however, is that the steam has been taken off the Ibo agitation and with ageing veterans of the like of Odumegwu Ojukwu counting their final years in life, signs are that Nigeria will not expect trouble from the Eastern flank in the foreseeable future.

Today, the caravan is pulling up at the Niger Delta. A community of diverse ethnic groups even more dangerously populated than the Ibo society, with just the natural resources called petroleum oil in common, seems to be slowly consumed in the sentimental dream of what it would be like to have a Kuwait-type nation-state. That this dream that was started in the legitimate agitation for fairness in the derivation formula and environmental equilibrium has now been hijacked by unsuccessful and disgruntled politicians of different colors and aspirations, is one negative fruit of our drive towards democratic and constitutional governance.

If this was the only problem faced by the Nation however, leaders would no doubt, surely have known, where to set the rope to pull the wagon along.

Nigeria’s unity is not being threatened by utopian separatist ideologues and local champions of social psychological manipulation alone, the intellectual class – many of who have outlived or seeking to experience for the first time in life, their ultimate glory days – are doing their utmost to assert their personal relevance in the democratic dispensation at the risk of national unity.

The journalist Reuben Abati clearly comes to my mind in these sunny days of steady transition. Since I know too little about this highly respected professional colleague, I will avoid doing him any form of injustice through all-round condemnation, because he definitely has achievements (that I am personally not aware of), for which he is being revered by his followers. His performance however, in the Niger Delta crisis in the wake of the CNN’s evil report on Nigeria would qualify for a journalistic disgrace in any society of civilized journalistic appraisal. While cautious voices highlighted the outright flaws in the reporting made for CNN by a fellow (Kenyan-born) African Jeff Koinange and urged balance in appraisal, Reuben Abati was one who rose very early, to lend prominent credence and credibility to that outright mischievous act of an over-estimated, fame hungry journalistic sideliner. Reuben Abati ridiculed his country’s Minister of Information for making statements, which even though, he did not publicly prove, have today, become known to us as precise and correct.

For those who are yet to know, Jeff Koinange is confirmed relieved of his duties in CNN by several media sources. He was said to have been involved in some love liaison with a Swiss writer, who sought some publicity for a new book written by her on the assassination of a Kenyan Minister. The transformation from business into romantic relationship culminated in the exposure of confidential information to the lover lady. Such information included email messages confirming to the lady that he (Jeff Koinange) actually paid gunmen to stage the show that was featured in the MEND footage in February 2007 as the truth and reality of the Niger Delta. Jeff confirmed having done this within the framework of CNN’s standing order. The aggrieved lady, who did not receive the promised publicity, revealed and published Jeff Koinange’s emails in her personal Internet blog and reported the case to Jim Walton, CNN’s President! In fact, some of Koinange’s words in the emails read: "Of course I had to pay certain people to get the story," ... "But everything was done in agreement with CNN and in accordance with their usual standards. But you do not get such a story without bribing … You have to have financial resources. But at the end, it was worth it. CNN has its story and I have my 'fame.'" 

Today, I would have expected all journalists of honor, who permitted their overriding subjective hatred of Obasanjo and anything he stood for to take the better side of them on the Niger Delta issue like many other issues on Nigeria, and all those Nigerians who flooded CNN with emails and calls praising the objectivity of a report, which chain of illogical correlations and flaws just did not fit, and was even easy for the blind to see, to tender open apologies to the nation in the spirit of fairness. Fellows that played into the hands of separatism out of personal hatred. So far, the nation is standing and these fellows are falling united.

It fills me with sorrow and pain to remember the likes of Tai Solarin or Fela Anikulapo Kuti who suffered persecution in the hands of political authority and still advanced ideologies that did not focus on their personal hatred. The like of Reuben Abati will be judged in history by the gross disservice they have done and are continuing to do to journalism in Nigeria. The journalism of inciting a wave of negative popular sentiments far away from the basic norms of fairness and objectivity (no matter the emotions) that we are taught to embrace as journalists. Thank goodness, their campaign of hate did not take hold, except with a few classes of pseudo-intellectuals, who made it look like the whole of Nigeria simply hated the ruling establishment in Obasanjo’s days. The days immediately trailing the badly flawed Presidential elections betrayed the failure of the paper and electronic tigers that propagated hate and believed in the simplicity of sparking off social upheaval. Thank goodness Nigerians knew too well that Obasanjo is not, was not and will never be the last and only electoral fraudster Nigeria has ever had. The game was not just enough for the sentiments that the preachers of hate sought to disseminate. Nigeria is still standing and the preachers of hate are falling united.

It is therefore, with such a bruised and bleeding heart that I mourn the personal demise of a legend like Wole Soyinka. A veteran intellect, who has for several years, held the banner of the black race in epitomizing the simple reality that race and intelligence have no causal correlation. Wole Soyinka’s achievements to the black race has highlighted nature’s own laws that intelligence is human and not a racial attribute in the exclusive prerogative of the white race. It is perhaps this human element in the manifestation of intelligence that is indeed playing out today, in the actions of the veteran poet. I could hardly believe my eyes that Wole Soyinka of all bandwagon riders is also swimming in the wave of seeking cheap political relevance by traveling to the United States to testify before the American Congress on the way forward after Nigeria’s flawed elections. Gosh! Fela Anikulapo Kuti was no Professor. I bet however, Fela Kuti would have pushed to have the indicted American congressman Jefferson summoned to Nigeria to testify before the Nigerian National assembly on his involvement in charges of corruption with the immediate past Vice President before he personally, would appear before the American congress.

Where are the days in which Nigerian intellectuals led Africa in asserting the confidence of the Africans and fought against any form of political domination? Where is the generation that will teach our children to grow and rekindle the slogan of the seventies “I am black and proud”? Where are those that will rise again and revive the spirit of Pan-Africanism?

Once I read a joke, in which someone rightly asserted that if time was to be turned back and slave trade reenacted with all those commercial ships hunting for African slaves at the port of Badagry and Apapa, Nigerians would not run away to escape their captors as they did in the pre-colonial times. On the contrary, Nigerians would flood the ships and line up to be taken as slaves to any foreign country out of their home. Our ancestors however, had honor and pride and made the best of a bad situation daring poverty and primitivism to live the life they knew how best to handle.

Today, it is the likes of Abubakar Atiku, Wole Soyinka and whatever movements for any democratic instance that are formed by Nigerians abroad that are systematically alienating Nigeria to another form of imperialistic colonization. The overriding legislative body of Nigeria has suddenly become the American congress. The superior governmental instance ruling Nigeria has suddenly relocated to Downing Street 10! While posterity may forgive ignorant sideliners and such fame-hungry “follow-follow” Nigerians in America and elsewhere who smell the chance of becoming famous by grabbing their opportunity of a lifetime interacting with American or British politicians at the risk of selling their nation and race, history will hardly forgive the likes of Wole Soyinka who have the intellectual wherewithal to know where the buck stops. It is so disheartening that Nigerians like Atiku Abubakar simply do not figure out where and when to draw the final line, when the game is over. The Americans and the British saw the risk of destabilizing and disintegrating Nigeria wrapped in the cloak of anti-Obasanjo rhetoric and knew what this would mean for the entire region. They backtracked and even abandoned their own Protégé Atiku Abubakar who was finally left with nothing but to hallucinate on how he would be sworn in to succeed Obasanjo as President. But die-hard Nigerians do not wish to learn or play any constructive role in moving Nigeria forward. United they will surely fall and in their own separation Nigeria will stand united.

Thank goodness that the North in spite of their cry of being marginalized by the Obasanjo government did not go to all this evil length of separatism apart from a few Sharia noises that were also gruesome enough. Northerners are bemused and patient because they knew power would return to them as it ultimately did. And as long as they do not produce Barkin Zuwos (or was it Banking Zuwo?) who would count Coca Cola and Fanta as the mineral resources produced by Nigeria, I can only wish President Musa Yar’Adua all the best in his quest to advance Nigeria towards the set goal of producing an industrial economy come 2020. United we stand, divided we fall and the separatists it is that will ultimately fall!

Robot  Villager

# 1 Political communities the world over, are busy transforming social-political frameworks in ...Read the full article. Posted by Robot| 12.06.2007 12:34

BABA FOR LIFE  Villager

# 2 Who No Know Him Go Know. Who No Sabe Him Go Sabe Too. Dey Pickin Wey Say Him Mama No Go Sleep Him Himself No Go Sleep. Posted by BABA FOR LIFE| 12.06.2007 13:27

pappilo  Villager

# 3 Absolute rubbish. Your article is nothing but an attack on a few individuals whose views you do share. let us compare your hero, Objoke and Atiku. Why do you think these 2 are different from each other. Why do you believe Objoke was good for democracy while atiku wasnt? I say again that Atiku is nobodys democracy hero, he only got the sympathy of the people because of Objoke's nail him at all cost atittude. The Two Thieves Objoke bought 200 million shares in transcorp, a company that enjoyed a lot of goodwill from the government he led, talk about conflicting interests. How did Objoke become a billionaire over 8 years? What did the EFCC and Objoke do about Andy uba who was caught with undeclared money by the FBI? nothing, Objoke actually benefitted from the said money. Objoke tried to elongate his tenure for selfish reasons Atiku is involved in the PTDF scandal. Atiku cannot explain the source of his wealth. Atiku and Objoke were best pals between 1999 and 2003 i.e president and vice and carried out the looting together. Atiku prevented Objoke from elongating his tenure for selfish reasons but to the benefit of the people who were tired of the thief of Otta. These 2 characters are not saints. I have never seen anyone write a praise report of Atiku like you and Mr Adujie do about Obasanjo. Objective people know they are both rotten. Posted by pappilo| 12.06.2007 13:54

Oguguo Yakere  Villager

# 4 . . The Two Thieves Objoke bought 200 million shares in transcorp, a company that enjoyed a lot of goodwill from the government he led, talk about conflicting interests.....Atiku is inolved in the PTDF scandal. ..These 2 characters are not saints. I have never seen anyone write a praise report of Atiku like you and Mr Adujie do about Obasanjo. Objective people know they are both rotten. ...by Pappillo Well said Pappillo. That is the pont. It couldn't be better said. Posted by Oguguo Yakere| 12.06.2007 15:28

oluye  Villager

# 5 You guys seem to be missing the point of the article. It's not about Obasanjo or Atiku. It's about the sovereignty of a nation. Many of us kept quiet over Wole Soyinka's visit to the headmaster of the world because we felt betrayed beyond words. All analysis had revealed that the political class was corrupt, and that the elections cannot be free and fair. Any one who was surprised at the outcome was only living in the land of Oz. But for a nobel laureate, especially Wole Soyinka to go to US, and table Nigerian affairs before the government of another country is merely an admission that he would rather return us to the colonial days. Even babies remain persistent and try again and again till they get their steps right. Every nation deserves that right too. The nobel laureate will only make the present government more indebted to the US government who will eventually support it despite betrayal by its own. Or perhaps, Wole Soyinka is inviting the US to come and do in Nigeria what it is doing in Iraq. Having been outsmarted and out-rigged, his cliche's only hope of getting to Aso rock is now the US. If that is the best option they can come up with Nigeria will rather be free and continue in their experiments than lay down their sovereignty under God. Like Frisky Larr, my heart was grieved when I saw Wole Soyinka sitting as he waited to testify to the US authorities. Like one kid reporting the other to "Daddy". Omo Daddy, pele o. I will repeat it again, power will always flow from wherever you place it. I wonder if US people who have a different opinion about the war in Iraq can go and table their grievances against the present US government before our senate in Nigeria or before OPEC to impose sanctions on the US. Come to think of it, do Nobel Laureates receive any continuous incentives? If yes, how much does the US contribute- maybe then we will begin to understand why the piper chose to play such tunes. I better just stop before... Posted by oluye| 12.06.2007 16:27

pappilo  Villager

# 6 Oluye What is your beef with Mr Wole Soyinka? This man has achieved more than you ever will in your life time. Do you know the United States is the lone super power in the world, sometimes refered to as the policeman of the world. If you dont know, what the United States say's matters. That is the reason Wole soyinka took the case of the fraudulent elections to the senate. Pressure from the United States has brought about change in many parts of the world. What is your own solution to the problem of the illegality of the April elections? Wait till 2011 for the same thing to happen? Posted by pappilo| 12.06.2007 16:48

oluye  Villager

# 7 =pappilo;183217>Oluye What is your beef with Mr Wole Soyinka? This man has achieved more than you ever will in your life time. Do you know the United States is the lone super power in the world, sometimes refered to as the policeman of the world. If you dont know, what the United States say's matters. That is the reason Wole Soyinka took the case of the fraudulent elections to the senate. Pressure from the United States has brought about change in many parts of the world. What is your own solution to the problem of the illegality of the April elections? Wait till 2011 for the same thing to happen? My beef with Wole Soyinka is well stated in my posts. He is currently using his position against Nigeria, maybe because he has a personal vendetta for Obasanjo. We are all losers for it. If Wole Soyinka truly cares about the average Nigerian, there is much he can do with his influence, as I pointed out on the thread about the Nigerian killed in Spain. As for what I will achieve in my life time, I say the day is young and the sky is blue. I am very vocal about my solution to the illegality in the April elections too. I do not seek to annul the elections but to fight the illegalities in it so that they don't happen again. Our professions affect the way we look at life. As an architect, I know design is not a one off thing, you must constantly review it until it satisfies all the criteria you want to meet. Every time I post, I try to offer ways out. It is what we do in between the goal posts that determines who gets to score, not shifting the goal posts. Our laws state that whoever goes as far as INEC announcing him as the president is the president. That is the goal post. A goal has been scored. It was an attempt to shift this goal post that caused June 12. No matter who wins there will be an aggrieved party and they will always have reasonable grounds with our present constitution. Hey, the losing party can even print ballots in favour of the winning one and throw them all over the bush so that every on will see it! Now, lets look at the lapses that permitted the illegalities and rectify them before the next one instead of wasting our time crying over split milk. Posted by oluye| 12.06.2007 17:17

Frisky Larr  Villager

# 8 Folks, In spite of the general intellectual sophistication of participants of the NVS forum, there are unfortunately many of us who preferrably subscribe to the zombie reasoning pattern. Reasoning along just one line in a mental march-time, no matter the perspective opened. For some of us, the issue will forever remain Atiku-OBJ, no matter what is addressed in the Nigerian political community. Be that as it may, compatriot Pappilo may understand that Atiku did not head the Federal govt. and could therefore, not be praised for its achievements. Much as I have given OBJ credit for what I know to be his achievements, I have always also given him the blame for what I also know to be his failures. Atiku's governmental success or failure cannot be measured as his official designation was one of a VP. My best regards and high appreciation to compatriot Pappilo for his fairness in rejecting OBJ-Atiku in one pack. That was just by the way! But "Lone super power", "Policeman of the world"! Gosh! What a brilliant grasp of international affairs and a level to debate on! The article above clearly highlights the laudable achievements of Wole Soyinka, which I will never achieve in my lifetime. Wole Soyinka may however, also end up wreaking tremendous havoc in the opposite direction, which I will also never achieve in my lifetime. So folks, let us stick to the issue and maintain our usual pattern of positive intellectualism! God bless! Posted by Frisky Larr| 12.06.2007 19:31

Calche  Villager

# 9 Frisky Larrimore; This is bag full of trash. I thought I was reading your commentary about SR a minute ago where you urged that the editor of SR should have left out the divorce proceeding of David Mark and here you are basing your article on the romantic life of Jeff Koinage. Can you see your hypocrisy. Last word: Please people like you should never refer to Rueben Abati as your "journalist colleague", there is no basis for that, you need to chisel off the the chip on your shoulder. Abi, since when did writing trashy articles qualify you for a Nobel Prize? Posted by Calche| 12.06.2007 21:25

ariteni  Villager

# 10 Frisky, GREAT PATRIOTIC SENTIMENTS! Soyinka's testimony discloses nothing new but merely echos the Imperialists. I stumbled on a publication today - WORLD REPORT ON HUMAN RIGHTS 2001-2002. It said the same things about the 1999 Elections. The Commonwealth Observers said the same thing on the 2003 Elections. They all conclude that despite the irregularities, the OUTCOME of the elections represent the electoral will of Nigerians. True we cannot all agree on all issues and dissenters are not all unpatriotic. Some critics are not separatists. Only they sometimes inflict injustice meant for President Olusegun Obasanjo on the Nigerian State. The issue of rectification is a difficult one but I do not see us adopting Soyinka's solution. Even the Tribunals cannot help simply because the law does not envisage a perfect election but one that truly represents the electoral will of the Nigerian Masses. We will not nullify results in 36 states if only six were irregular. As in 1999 and 2003, Buhari is not claiming that he won neither does Soyinka want a Buhari Presidency. The rectification we can do, since it is too late to accommodate Soyinka's request for a re-run because of Constitutional impediments, is to constitute an ELECTORAL REVIEW COMMISSION to be headed by Soyinka himself. Its recommendations will for the basis for INEC re-organisation. Frisky, you take Reuben Abati too serious. True, he delights in HIGHLIGHTING problems in most of his write-up (to the cheer of youths) without offering SOLUTIONS but he should not be totally condemned. Sometimes writes nice articles too e.g. OBASANJO IS THE MOST ILLUSTRIOUS EGBA SON. My point of difference is that he sometimes tries to push people into trouble in his writings e.g. that Niger Delta youths should "fire on" or that Senate President should assume office as interim President. But unlike Soyinka, he is only looking for his own. Flip-flopping is one of the ways to do it in Nigeria. Afterall for the eight "evil" years of President Obasanjo, Soyinka's eldest daughter served in the Presidency. Ditto Ekwueme, Shagari, Akinjide, Adesanya etc There are a couple of wrong views Soyinka holds and awkward things he does but they are overlooked (to his annoyance) because of the reservoir of goodwill endowed him as a Nobel Laureate. His suggestion in this case of electoral "fraud" is untenable and not constitutionally implementable although it makes some sense. But the request to Umar Yar' Adua to surrender his MANDATE is indeed laughable! :lol: Trust me, after all said and done, President Obasanjo,s first son, Umar Yar'Adua will get more co-operation from Nigerians that Baba himself. All dreams of separatism will vanish and the slogan of ONE NIGERIA will once again be revived. Thats just the way we are! (Don't take the many "papillolos" of the square serious! They sometimes ask anybody who opposes Soyinka or Achebe to show us their own NOBEL PRIZE but it is just to pull those people's legs when the devotees are out of sensible contributions.) Posted by ariteni| 13.06.2007 00:34

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